Happy 60th Birthday Ron!!!

Ron turned 60 on February 26th! (He sure doesn't look like 60, does he?) I think that turning 60 was mentally a bit rough on him, but we had a great time doing things with family over the past week. Here is a photo-journal of our activities.

On Monday evening, February 21, we went to Jenni and Will's house for an early birthday dinner celebration. Jenni had prepared a delicious dinner and also Ron's favorite little treat: Rice Crispy Treats. The table was even decorated with balloons and streamers. (and Preston even picked out the birthday card for grandpa.....because it had Dora the Explorer on it!)

Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to give someone for their birthday, but this year was easy deciding what to give to Ron. I complied a photobook of many of Ron's photos, and had it printed up. There are aproximately 80 pages of photos. Someday I wish that we could publish a coffee table book of Ron's photos that we could sell.

The following photos are just a few shots of the interior of the book.

On Wednesday we drove down to Pendleton to spend a few days with my mother. We wanted to try to take some snow photos while we were in the Blue Mountains, because it is SO beautiful there. We drove up to Tollgate area on Friday and explored a bit. We knew that we needed to get off the road to get a photo of pristine snow, so we strapped on our snowshoes and set out to explore.

It would be an understatement to say it was 'beautiful." Breathtaking would be more accurate!

My mother is 82 1/2, but there is NO WAY that you could keep her from going to the mountains when there is an adventure to be had! She borrowed some snowshoes from a friend (thank you Tami!!) and hiked through the snow right along Ron and I. She's a trooper, to say the least!

I should mention.......that the temperature we were snowshoeing in, was -9 below zero! The only way to stay warm, was to keep moving!

On Saturday, February 26th, Ron's birthday, we went back up to Tollgate early in the morning. We arrived before most of the snow enthusiasts arrived (around 6:30 AM) but it wasn't long before lots of snowmobilers hit the trails. (Below: my mom looking like the abominable snowman all wrapped up to stay warm...and Ron locking the truck.....honk, honk! LOL)

When we arrived, the sky was clear and beautiful. But shortly after we started snowshoeing into the spot we wanted to photograph, the clouds started rolling in......extremely disappointing to say the least. But the sunrise was incredibly beautiful.

One thing that I discovered on this little hike........neither one of my cameras work in -9 degree temperature! I took a total of 5 or 6 shots with my Nikon P80, then it quit on me. So I pulled out the Nikon D200 and took about the same amount of pictures, then it froze up on me. Ron lucked out however......his Nikon D3s didn't even flinch at the subzero temps.

Mom was able to take one photo of me before her camera froze up too. Then she put it inside of her coat next to her body, to try to warm it up......hence the one picture of me. I wish that we could have taken a photo of the snow depth.....there was almost 9 feet of snow, and even on snowshoes we were sinking about 8 to 10 inches, so it was not easy trekking. But it was fun, never the less.

Ron took this panoramic of pristine snow with a view for miles. The clouds were coming in too fast to get the photo he wanted. But it warrants another trip to get the light right.

The incredible beautiy is hard to describe.....the trees were so heavy laden, that they looked like snow-flocked Christmas trees which were frozen stiff. I doubt that we will have another chance to go to Tollgate again this year.....but at least we know exactly where to head next year!!) Ron took this photo below as well. Pictures just don't do it justice.

This entire tree was covered with not only snow, but also icicles. It looked like a partially decorated Christmas tree....all it needed was the colored lights.

My mom (Thelma Lindsay).

When you get a break in the clouds and finally see blue sky, there is nothing quite like the scene before your eyes........breathtaking! I love the Blue Mountains....they are so accessible. We have many fond memories of snowmobiling in this area. I think that next time we come, we need to rent some snowmobiles, so we can get back to the places we really want to photograph.......and not have to get so tired out snowshoeing!

All in all, Ron enjoyed his 60th birthday. When we got home that afternoon, we had strawberry shortcake for Ron's birthday......a perfectly sweet way to end a perfectly gorgeous day in the mountains!

Family Playtime

Playing in the snow is supposed to be fun! Except Preston doesn't think so.......can you tell by the look on his little face?

Monday, January 31st, Ron and I took Jenni, Will, Preston and Taylor up to Mt. Baker for a picnic in the snow, and some snowshoeing. It was a beautiful, cold winter day......and we practically had the ski resort to ourselves. We pulled into the parking lot at the Mt. Baker Ski Resort at Heather Meadows, and set up the campstove........we had hot dogs, baked beans, chips, pasta salad and hot chocolate!

Preston was fine, as long as someone carried him on the snow. Grandpa finally got him to walk on the snow, but for the most part, he really didn't want to have anything to do with it.

After our picnic, we strapped on the snowshoes, bundled up the kids and started hiking. Jenni had Taylor strapped in as snug as a bug in rug in the Baby Bjorn carrier.....he finally fell asleep as we were hiking. Will put Preston in a backpack, where he was quite content.........just as long as he didn't have to touch the snow. Ron, Jenni and I had snowshoes, while Will had on skis. He put some "skins" on his skis so he could go uphill with us. Then when we reached as high as we wanted to go, he took of the skins and skiied down the hill. Preston thought that was pretty cool.....except that it was "very cold!"

Will and Preston, with Mt. Shuksan in the background.

We practically had the hills to ourselves. It was sure a beautiful day, and it was fun getting out and doing something with our family.

Taylor "hates" his car seat, and he howled at us most of the way, but didn't take long to fall asleep once Jenni had him secured in the Baby Bjorn carrier.

I sure love my family. I'm so glad that we are able to do some fun things with them. I wish that I could see my other children more often. The most important thing we have is our families.....never take them for granted. Always take the time to tell them that you love them, and don't ever let work or other responsibilities take away from your time together as a family. These are the kind of memories that we will always cherish. Families are Forever!

A New Year

It seems like time passes so quickly these days.....I feel like I don't get anywhere near the things accomplished that I would like to. I'm either too busy or tired. I'm glad that January rolls around every once in a while....it makes us stop to re-think how things are going in our lives, and whether or not we need to make any changes or course corrections.

It may sound trivial to some, but at this time of year, I'm even more grateful for just a tiny bit of warmth and sunshine. I'm grateful for the opportunity to refocus and start again.

Most people have a special place where they like to go just to get away from it all, or to have time to relax and think. Ron and I have that special spot, on Fidalgo Island, near Anacortes. A few days ago, we bought some Fish and Chips (a special treat!) and drove to our spot by the ocean, just to enjoy the late afternoon

The clouds were starting to disperse and the sun was doing it's best to poke it's nose through the clouds. It was so nice just to relax and enjoys the boats floating past us, and have the chance to "recharge our batteries", so to speak.

The Trumpeter Swans have returned to the fields in Skagit Valley to feed during the winter, and they are quite a beautiful sight. The sun was almost setting, bathing the valley in a warm glow, as we stopped to enjoy the swans for a few moments.

The sun only shone for just a few minutes, and it reminded me so much of life....that it passes so quickly......so we need to take advantage of every moment that we have.....to make wise choices and enjoy life to it's fullest. We may not be able to control all the circumstances of our lives, but we do control the attitude with which we approach life. I think that is the right attitude to start this new year with. So, let's charge full steam ahead!

Adventure on Snowshoes

Oh, where do I start? Maybe at 3:30 on Thursday morning, December 30, 2010. When Ron likes to leave the house early to go on an adventure......he means in the middle of the night! I must admit, it's fun being on the road when there's hardly another car in sight. So, I will begin at 3:30 AM Thursday morning. (warning: there are LOTS of photos in this post.....I just couldn't narrow them down!) (click on any photo to see it larger.)

A storm was just departing, and we have discovered that is the best time for photo opportunities. We'd been watching the weather reports for weeks and had been getting very discouraged, but then this perfect day showed up, and we took advantage of it. Mt. Baker has been "calling" us for a long time....so off we went! Perfect sky and only 2 degrees! We donned ski clothes and strapped on our snowshoes and started trekking up the snow covered road to Artist Point at Mt. Baker Ski Resort. Ron took the panorma below shortly after sunrise.

There were only a half a dozen cars in the parking lot when we arrived......(but it didn't stay that way for very long.) Thank you Jenni for the loan of your ski pants.....they really kept me warm in that 2 degree temperature. So with a heavy down coat and camera backpack on my back, we started hiking around 7:30 AM. The snow was so cold and dry that it really crunched as we walked.....you certainly couldn't sneak up on a bear or a deer even if you wanted to.

Below: the empty ski resort shortly after sunrise. The mountains were being "kissed" by the sun and the colors were spectacular. Everywhere you looked there were majestic snow-capped mountains. The photo below, is looking almost due north....Mt. Baker is behind me, and Mt. Shuksan to my right (out of sight.)

Turning slightly to my right (or east) you can see more of the mountain range in this area. There are two ski resorts here.....Mt. Baker Ski Resort where we were, and just a couple of miles down the mountain, the White Salmon Ski Resort right at the foot of Mt. Shuksan.......I don't know how anyone can ski with that mountian looming behind them.....I would end up staring at it the entire time.

I need to figure out the names of these mountain peaks......they are so beautiful. That's really an understatement. Just another view from the ski resort.

The clouds were clearing off from the mountains, but while they were still hanging around, they looked like soft cotton draped over the range. At this time of the morning, there were only a few cross country skiers on the trail with a couple of other people on snowshoes.....but nobody had a camera except us......what were they thinking?

The photo below is of Table Top.....the trees at the top were completely covered and frozen stiff. Mt. Baker is right behind this peak, so it can't be seen from here on the trail. The ski patrol keeps the road to Artist Point groomed with a tractor, so it was fairly easy going.....until we got to a shortcut they made......it went practically straight up.....at least it felt that way. We had to remember that they used this part of the road as one of their ski runs, so they didn't need to follow the switchbacks that the cars do in the summer. Skiers just go straight downhill!

Below: Ron walking on the trail towards Artist point.

Below: Ron all bundled up to stay warm......Table Top in the background.

As the sun came out, so did the skiers. It wasn't long before the slopes were crawling with people. There was one point where the trail we were hiking intersected with one of the runs......we felt like were were going to be run over by snowboarders! Ron yelled "Track!" once, just so they would be aware that someone else was around!

Below: this was the place where the trail crossed the ski slope. The trees were totally covered in snow and frozen stiff. It was picture perfect.

About halfway to Artist Point, Ron and I left the regular trail (just to get out of the skiers way!) and ventured off into some pristine powder. The is the backside of Mt. Shuksan, with Mt. Baker just off to the right, (or west of us.)

Below: Ron standing in front of the sign that points to Austin Pass and Blueberry Cat Track....this is where we departed from the regualar trail. We thought that we would be all by ourselves.....but it didn't take long for three other guys who were skiing, see us and decided to follow us. They were looking for a place to dig a cave and stay for the night. I think they were crazy to want to camp in 2 degree temps! By this time, we were getting a bit tired. Our water bottles were frozen solid, so we couldn't even take a drink of water.......hmmmmm.....we'll have to work on that before we go again.

Ron with his photo gear set up for taking panoramic pictures.

Everywhere you turned, it was just breathtakingly beautiful!

Ron framing up a shot.

Ron hiked up to the top of a ridge, and was able to get this panorama of Table Top, with the road in the foreground, and the tip of Mt. Baker just to the left of the trees.

Looking east at one of the ski runs.......you can see the tip of Mt. Shuksan in the distance. We kept pretty warm....except you have to take your gloves off to use the camera....so our fingertips were constantly getting cold.

This is my favorite shot that I took.......you can see some skiers on the hill and then the top of Mt. Shuksan in the background. I loved the snow covered trees.

I think that I need to put this photo on a calendar!

I took this photo just for my son in law Will....he loves to ski. The ski resort was flying skiers up to the top of this mountain in a helicopter and then they would ski down. If you look close, you can see where several skiers went straight down over the cliffs. Reminds me of a Warren Miller Ski Film. There were also a lot of skiers that were hiking up to the top of this mountain to ski down too......it was a LONG hike.

This is the same hill, as the above photo....just from the parking lot.....which by this time was totally full. There had to be several hundred cars there. When I say that everyone and their dog was there....I mean that literally.......it seemed like EVERYONE had a dog!

Me, with my snowshoes and camera.

We hiked out around 2:00 PM.....and wound our way out of the maze of cars in the parking lot. It was a gorgeous day, to say the least. But both Ron and I had some very sore muscles.

Then today, Friday, December 31, we decided to drive up to Lake Diablo on Highway 20. They close off the road during the winter here, but you can drive as far as the lookout over the lake. As we got out of the truck we noticed fresh bear tracks in the snow.....it looked like he was checking out the dumpsters at the lookout. (I was constantly checking for the bear!)

Ron climbed out over the railing to get this 180 degree shot of Lake Diablo. You have to turn your head from left to right to be able to see all of what this photo shows. Notice where the sun is hitting the water, the color of the water is emerald green and in the shade the lake reflects the color of the sky so it is blue. He only used a polarizer and neutral density filters for this shot. It was 14 degrees at the time (7:30 AM) and his feet were frozen.

Now we're checking the weather report for the next perfect day after a storm! It was a nice trip for New Year's Eve. Have a wonderful New Year!